New Property Machinery Needs

[spqr476]

Greetings, all.

I Purchased a mini-farm last fall with a house/garden/orchard that sits on .8 acres of grass, with about an acre of hilly, overgrown pasture with small (20x25') barn, and about a third of an acre or so of wooded area. I'm in Iowa, and have about 400' of semicircular gravel driveway.

I plan on expanding the vegtetable garden to 40x40, need to move some stumps and tear down some old fencing, have lots of brush, etc, that needs cleaning up, would like to till or disc up all the fox grass and weeds in the pasture and get down some hay and maybe put a quarter acre in some corn. I will need to add gravel to the drive, and will need to take care of snow in the winter. I also need to mow the upper three quarters of an acre, and keep the pasture in check occasionally. I may eventually have some animals.

My neighbor has a skid steer, and has been gracious enough to take care of my drive this winter. He also doesn't mind if I borrow his machine for an occasional task, but he has it at his commercial farming acreage all summer, so it's an early spring/late fall/winter proposition.

I'm evaluating my options for machinery, and I'm a bit torn...I've looked at the kubota BX 1860/2360 and comparable machines of other colors (kubota dealer is 1/2 mile down the road, though) with MMM, FEL, tiller, and back blade. I've also considered a decent lawn/garden tractor and a rear tine walk-behind tiller, with lots of borrowing of the skid steer (and return favors to keep a balance) and some occasional hiring out. The apple orchard, and some hickory, spruce, and locust trees, along with a hilly, rolling, yard have me torn on the mowing duties...a zero turn will no doubt have stability issues on all the hills and bumps, but a ROPS may get in the way getting under the trees, leaving more push mower and trimmer work. A lawn/garden tractor will probably fit the bill for mowing, but I'll be mooching off the neighbor or hiring out for all the other chores I will need to do.

Any advice from those who have been there/done that?

 

[Qapla]

... would like to till or disc up all the fox grass and weeds in the pasture...I've looked at the Kubota BX 1860/2360 and comparable machines of other colors (Kubota dealer is 1/2 mile down the road, though) ...

If it is allowed in your area I would burn the fox grass and weeds before I turned any ground.

Also, you can't go wrong with Kubota if the close-by dealer is a good one. As for what model you need, I'll let others chime in on that because I would not know where to start on a farm that small.

 

[TripleR]

Of course a lot depends on how much you are willing to pay, but I would give serious consideration to a SCUT/CUT. I really like my BX2660, but would really be looking at one of these seriously.

New John Deere Utility Tractors

 

[spqr476]

I've heard similar advice on burning the grass. I'm pretty sure that's what I'll do...will have to till a firebreak before doing it, but it's legal around here.

On the price, I've saved enough that I can comfortably pay cash for a Bx2360. I figure I could buy a CUT/SCUT once and be good for the next 30 years, or buy a series of lawn/garden machines over the same time period, plus the hired out work, so I figure I'd be close to cost neutral over the long haul, with a big plus in the convenience of having a machine at hand whenever I needed it.

I just fear getting a machine that's too big for cutting around/under the trees, and too small for dealing with chores, though I have little fear on the "too little" side with only 2 acres or so, total.

I hate to drop that much money, then regret it.

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree with TripleR, Kubota or one of the new Deere models should be a good fit. With the attachments needed for your jobs you should be able to handle everything on two acres.

I would be wary of borrowing equipment from neighbors, I don't mind helping them and using my own equipment in the process but borrowing and loaning equipment can lead to trouble.

 

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

Just my 2 cents, but I think for very little more you could have a small cut in the 1800 to 2000 pound range. It would do everything the subcut would do with less limitations. Ground clearance would be a big one and with a foldable rops, height wouldn't be a problem.

 

[spqr476]

Just my 2 cents, but I think for very little more you could have a small cut in the 1800 to 2000 pound range. It would do everything the subcut would do with less limitations. Ground clearance would be a big one and with a foldable rops, height wouldn't be a problem.

I worry about ruts with the heavier weight, but with bigger tires, maybe it wouldn't be an issue. Maneuverability might be another issue...back to poring over spec sheets.

 

[TripleR]

Jenkisph and lawsalltractor make good points. There is a thread on here about loaning implements and it makes for some good reading. As a general rule, I don't borrow or loan equipment. We have "bartered" for it in the past, but now I just rent if I need something we don't own. There are just too many pitfalls in that for me. We do help our neighbors any time they need it and they would help us too, but borrowing/loaning is something we don't do.

As to the CUT v SCUT, you do get more ground clearance with the CUT which can really be nice, but generally this comes with the price of a higher COG. I looked at a CUT for our property and went with a SCUT due to the added stability. On some of the CUTs, you can get wheel spacers, but I don't know if you can approach the stability of a lower COG tractor. You also run into the added height interfering with overhangs, trees, etc.

Either might be a good bet for you, but after looking at all of the brochures, go try some out and ride them around the lot as much as they will let you.

The advantages of the new JD SCUTs are the lack of a vulnerable HST fan such as is on the BX, position control and foldable ROPS. Somewhere on here there is a post with a video of the new JD 1023 and 1026R. I don't know about the availability, but I am sure you can find it on the JD forum.

I am not recommending one over the other SCUT/CUT, BX/JD, just throwing stuff out for consideration. I don't know that much about the other brands, but all make good machines and would warrant consideration.

Good luck.

 

[jenkinsph]

I worry about ruts with the heavier weight, but with bigger tires, maybe it wouldn't be an issue. Maneuverability might be another issue...back to poring over spec sheets.

I would atleast look at the offerings in person and try them out to see what feels right. I look at specs too and have been around this stuff for most of my life, just give them all a hard look before you make a decision. I personally prefer Deere but with a Kubota dealer down the street that would make a big difference. Good dealers are important as has been mentioned, make sure you feel comfortable with whoever you choose. In the small machines made for your jobs I like both Deere and Kubota and will wan't to see the new Deere 1026R up close.

 

[beeforty]

If you have a dealer down the road will he rent to purchase and let you try out different models. Or just rent different makes for a weekend and run around on your property see how each feels. Don't necessarily try to complete any one task with one tractor so you could compare one to another. It will cost you a little now but may cure any doubts as to which is the right one for your needs.